AEW Dynamite 1/21/2026: 3 Things We Loved & 3 We Hated - News Directory 3

AEW Dynamite 1/21/2026: 3 Things We Loved & 3 We Hated

January 22, 2026 David Thompson Sports
News Context
At a glance
  • The road to Revolution is in its infancy, and brought AEW to Orlando, FL, tonight for another edition‌ of "Dynamite." While there were⁤ title matches made for next...
  • We won't be ⁣going into the nitty-gritty of what happened, as that has already
  • The January​ 21 ⁤episode‍ of ‍"AEW Dynamite" was the ultimate "vibes" episode of​ AEW TV.
Original source: wrestlinginc.com
AEW/Lee South

The road to Revolution is in its infancy, and brought AEW to Orlando, FL, tonight for another edition‌ of “Dynamite.” While there were⁤ title matches made for next week’s show, the overarching storylines are still taking form, leaving fans with an isolated, albeit action-packed, edition of the flagship program. As always, there was plenty to love and plenty⁤ to hate.

We won’t be ⁣going into the nitty-gritty of what happened, as that has already

The January​ 21 ⁤episode‍ of ‍”AEW Dynamite” was the ultimate “vibes” episode of​ AEW TV. If you’ve‌ ever ‍watched an ​episode of “AEW Collision” where the ⁤matches are all good ⁢to great, even though they don’t have some‍ overly dramatic story-beat to complement it, you will be very⁢ familiar with this sort of show structure. However,for as‍ little out-of-the-ring storytelling as ⁢AEW did tonight,the one story that the⁤ company did tell in the ⁣ring was that MJF has got a lot to deal ⁤with in the AEW Men’s World Championship scene.

tonight’s show was basically designed ⁤to ‍showcase just how rich and competitive⁢ the main ⁣event scene is ⁣in AEW right now. You have ‍MJF positioned​ at the top⁣ and⁤ a whole host⁢ of ⁢top-quality challengers underneath him, all wanting to earn their shots rather than just demanding them. ‍We’ve already been ⁢told that⁢ Hangman ⁤Page,⁣ Swerve ⁢Strickland, and Kenny Omega are​ gunning for the top prize after the three men⁢ had a segment on last⁤ week’s show, but the scene runs deeper⁢ than that as Samoa‌ Joe is still in the mix, and having seen his⁢ partner Bandido try and fail to become champion, Brody King is now ​involved as well.

It’s one thing to be⁣ told ​in ‍a promo that someone⁣ is worthy of being ⁤a title challenger,but it’s another thingto seeg those challengers in action.Joe, Omega, and Strickland all had excellent showings in their hard-fought victories‍ over “Speedball” Mike ​Bailey, Josh⁢ Alexander, and Kevin Knight respectively, and all of those matches were so good that you can easily⁤ go back⁣ and⁣ enjoy them in a vacuum, but you can ⁢also sit back and think that ⁣MJF ⁢really does have his work cut out for him. Let’s say he takes on Joe next. ‍If he gets ​past the “Samoan Submission Machine,” MJF⁤ will ‍be faced with challengers ‍on the ‍level of an Omega or a Strickland.

It’s setting MJF’s title reign⁤ up to not only be very exciting, but gives you the ‍sense that the‍ AEW Men’s World ⁤Championship could ‍genuinely be around the waist of anyone at any given⁣ time.Joe, Omega, and ​Strickland ⁤all showcased why they belong in that conversation‌ with their victories. Page gets the chance to do that this Saturday⁣ against Katsuyori shibata, and ⁢King⁤ will most likely get‍ his chance next week.⁣ I ⁣could sit here and write for hours about how ‌much I enjoyed each match, but I‍ thought I’d group ⁢the whole title picture and appreciate just how vibrant​ it is right now. Truly, the most exciting and unpredictable world title picture AEW‍ has had in manny years.

written by Sam Palmer

AEW has never been known‍ for its superb women’s division, but even then, this match was a mess.

To be fair, it feels wrong to pin ⁤this all on the Timeless Love Bombs, but Wednesday’s‍ single women’s‍ match did not do the struggling division any favors. On Wednesday’s episode of “AEW Dynamite,” “Timeless” Toni Storm and⁣ Mina shirakawa took the⁤ fight to the⁣ team of megan Bayne and Penelope Ford, and what ensued‍ was something that could only be called a wrestling match on paper – as in, the bell ⁤technically rang twice, but whatever happened in​ between those ⁢rings (and whatever happened after)⁣ is anyone’s guess.

I love Storm as much as the next‌ girl, and she can obviously hold herself well in the ring. I can’t say the same about ⁤the other three‌ women she shared the ropes with.I really want to like‌ Shirakawa,but‌ her appeal is definitely her aesthetic and her connection to some of ⁣AEW’s top female stars. Her in-ring work isn’t enviable‍ – especially not when she‍ awkwardly clunks around Ford and Bayne, whose inexperience results in slow and⁤ unpolished work. ‌When you think‌ about it, Storm ‌herself ‌isn’t⁤ the fastest worker – sure, she has so much in-ring experience that she can make up for‍ it, but ⁣the talent of one woman isn’t enough to put over three women who are considerably less skilled than she is. Combine ⁤all of these factors, and you get a match ‌that was kind of boring to sit through at best, and ​a chore to watch at worst.

Let’s say you’re more gracious than I am, and you​ found the match inoffensive, but logically sound. The⁤ match finish is just as, if not more, confusing. To close out Wednesday’s tag bout, Ford and Bayne ‍called in⁤ reinforcements, in the form ⁣of…Marina Shafir? Marina Shafir,the woman who already made an appearance ⁣on the show alongside the Death ⁣Riders? Marina Shafir,who presumably turned babyface with the rest of the Riders,and leader Jon Moxley? Shafir,who has‌ little ‌to no reason to interfere in this ⁢match in the⁢ first place,considering Ford effectively took her pla

The match between ⁢Kenny⁣ omega and Kyle Alexander on‌ the ‌January 21st edition of AEW Dynamite was a standout. The action spilled to the floor. ⁤Soon enough, they were​ in the ring after Omega avoided ⁤being dropped onto the concrete, and the match ⁢got started with ⁤the “Walking Weapon”⁢ at an advantage.

There wasn’t‌ a wasted motion. Every maneuver was specifically designed to damage the opponent and get the ⁤win. Alexander leapt from the top rope with ​Omega on his shoulders in⁤ a ⁤rolling senton slam. Omega hit a Snapdragon suplex to ‍plant Alexander onto the aforementioned ​concrete. When​ all⁤ was ⁢said​ and done, Omega got the win with the One Winged Angel to continue his pursuit of the AEW World Championship.

Much of the focus with Omega has been⁤ on his recovery from diverticulitis and the litany of ⁢injuries he had sustained over the years beforehand. ​And while there never really seems to be a bad Kenny Omega match, it‌ would ‍have‌ been understandable if ​he had cut back and wrestled a ​far⁣ more restrictive style. this match didn’t feel like that at all. It‌ felt as though Omega was as he had ⁣always been, one of the best in-ring performers​ on the plane,t ​if not ‍ the best in-ring performer.

alexander was ‍the right opponent for him to feel like “The ‌Best Bout Machine” once again, actually giving him someone he can have a best bout with. Everything fell into place as ⁢far as ‍blowing Omega’s seemingly never-ending feud with Don Callis and his⁣ family​ off, getting the ball rolling for​ him⁢ to challenge for the title, and delivering a genuinely compelling segment of TV on the night. Easy ‌to love. Impossible to hate.

written by Max Everett